Hello New Year

It’s that time of year again. You know, out with the old and in with the new. Exciting times, right? Full of hope even. Well, I sure hope so. But just in case this time of year brings something other than, woo-hoo, bring it on 2014!, out in you, I totally understand!

Sorry to be a little cynical about what this time of year brings up, but from where I sit (my coaching chair) I hear way too many wonderful people set themselves up for feeling like crap before the month of January draws to a close and I don’t want to see that happen to even one more beautiful soul! So, I put together a little something “different” in the way of a New Year’s exercise. It’s the list of 10 questions below and I hope you’ll find them helpful. As we say “bye-bye” to 2013 and “howdy-do” to 2014, let’s do it on purpose. What do you say?

If you’re in, below are some questions to ask yourself. Oh, and as you consider these questions, it will work best if you are in a really quiet place so that you can really hear your answers. Wherever that is, go there, get comfortable, close your eyes, take several deep breaths and allow yourself to feel what you are feeling. Then when you are ready, dive into these questions…and take your time. You deserve it! Because to have the year you want…you have to know what you want. Let’s do this.

1. Notice how you feel right now as 2013 comes to a close. Now imagine that you are going to feel exactly like that next year this time as 2014 is winding down. Would that be okay with you? If yes, that’s great! If not, how do you want to feel next year this time? How do you want your life to be different at the end of 2014? (Seriously…get in touch with this cause it’s BIG!)

2. When did you feel most true to yourself in 2013? What, exactly, were you doing? Get specific.

3. When did you feel least true to yourself in 2013? What, exactly, were you doing? Get specific.

4. What person or people consistently lifted you up or left you feeling better as a result of being with them in 2013?

5. What person or people consistently knocked you down or left you feeling worse as a result of being with them in 2013?

6. How do you want to feel next year this time? (See your responses to question #1)

7. Will you honor yourself in 2014 and do more of whatever made you feel most true to yourself in 2013? (See your responses to question #2)

8. Will you honor yourself in 2014 and do less of whatever made you feel least true to yourself in 2013? (See your responses to question #3)

9. Will you honor yourself in 2014 and spend more time in the company of the person or people who lifted you up in 2013? (See your responses to question #4)

10. Will you honor yourself in 2014 and spend less time in the company of the person or people who knocked you down in 2013? (See your responses to question #5)

There’s not going to be a better time than now to figure out the answers to these questions. And no, I don’t believe that having the answers to these questions will magically turn your life around, but it will be a really good start. It’s up to you though. It always will be. Because here’s the thing, we decide how we live our lives. With each decision we make, we are creating our lives. Sometimes we just need to look at what we’re doing and decide if it’s working for us or not. I hope these questions help you do just that!